This invention relates to controlling utility services within buildings and more particularly to the control of such utility services. As examples, control of utility services within buildings is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,587 granted to Geoffrey P. Brown on Dec. 7, 1993 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,331,619 granted to Thomas G. Barnum, et al., on Jul. 19, 1994. Plumbing and electrical service within commercial and/or public building structures is typically required to be provided with a means of control so that individual areas receiving these services can be isolated from other areas of the building for the purposes of repair.
A common method for this isolation of electrical services is a wall switch or an electrical breaker located within a service panel that is located at some remote location within the building. These switches and breakers typically control lights, electrical outlets and various pieces of equipment, whereas the common method for the isolation of plumbing services is a cut¬off valve that may be located above ceiling panels or concealed within a wall that requires access through a service panel. If the service is natural gas, then the cut-off valve may well be located on the roof. Cut-off valves also control water to plumbing fixtures and equipment or gas to appliances.
In the construction of a building containing science laboratory rooms such as a school facility, dependable and efficient control of these services is important. Such control typically utilizes electrically activated contacts, relays, and solenoid valves. These various electrical control apparatuses are typically controlled or activated by simply turning ON or OFF an electrical switch to energize or de-energize the apparatus. These switches may also be located on a wall or may be concealed, such as for example, within a cabinet or in an instructor's desk, etc.
One method of controlling these services regulates accessibility to the services, such that a classroom instructor can determine those times when the students in the classroom need the various services. When a service is needed, the switch can be turned to the ON position and access to the service is granted. On the other hand, when a service is not needed, the switch remains in the OFF position and access is denied. This control method helps to prevent accidental or unauthorized use of the service. However, there are several disadvantages associated with this type of control means. For instance, for maintenance purposes, if the cut-off valve and the solenoid controlling the valve to the plumbing service is positioned in a concealed ceiling space, then it may become necessary to first determine the location of the valve and solenoid, and then find a ladder or other means to gain access to the valve. If an emergency arises, it may be virtually impossible to close the valve within a short period of time. Also, if these valves are located upon the roof, it will be necessary to first gain access to the roof before any maintenance can be performed.
Also, if the service and solenoid valves are remotely located away from the controlling switch, it is necessary to install wiring from the control switch to the valve, and therefore, the exact locations of the valves and the voltage necessary to activate the solenoid valves must be known and available.
In addition, as is often the case in the installation of natural gas services, it may be required that the concealed gas piping and valve apparatus be within a secondary containment enclosure. In such a case, when the gas service is controlled by an electrical solenoid, it is essential that not only the pipe and valve be sealed within the enclosure, but because of the possibility of shorts and/or sparks, etc., it is also necessary that the electrical conduit and wiring connections be likewise sealed. Therefore, it is not only required that the conduit connectors be airtight, but also that the wiring within the conduits be sealed.
In the case of remote control of the electrical service to the classroom, typically a remote set of contacts or a relay is utilized to control the electrical outlets. This relay may be located within an access panel or box and located within the ceiling space. The relay may then be activated by an electrical switch located within the room.
Since an intent of this invention is the control and ability to restrict the various services to the classroom, it becomes necessary to provide a method to deny or regulate access to the controlling switch. In other words, if the instructor does not choose to permit the use of a service such as the cold water outlets in the room, then the electrical control switch should be left in the OFF position. If it is desired that the activation of this switch be strictly controlled, then this switch will likely be located within a locked and/or concealed containment area such as the instructor's desk.
However, with these described restrictions to access, if an emergency arises it would become necessary for the instructor to first unlock the containment area before the switch could be turned OFF and the service deactivated. Also, if the instructor were to be called away from the classroom momentarily, then there would be no means of quickly deactivating the service in the event of an emergency.
Not only would this configuration create a potential hazard, but also it restricts future repositioning and arrangement of the classroom. For instance, if the instructor's desk has electrical switches that are connected with wiring through electrical conduits, repositioning the desk would not be a trivial task.
To help prevent such emergency situations electrical panic-type push buttons are often positioned near the exit to the classroom, and are typically connected to a building fire alarm system. Though these panic buttons may deactivate the services during emergency situations, it is also necessary to provide wiring so that the remotely-located solenoid valves and electrical relays can be disengaged.
A situation where the instructor fails to deactivate a service at the end of the classroom day should also be considered. In such an event, the service would remain active through non-use periods. If any emergency arose during these times, then the possibility of a catastrophe is increased.
More specifically, if the service was not deactivated, and near the end of the school day a student inadvertently leaves a cold water faucet opened at a sink, that has a clogged drain that prevents the drainage of the water from the sink, by the beginning of the next school day a tremendous amount of water damage could occur within the classroom. Further, if the event occurred prior to an extended weekend or holiday, then this damage could likely extend to the entire school.
An even more dangerous situation would exist if a gas valve was left open. The results of such an event could be catastrophic. Clearly, a better method to control these services to school science classrooms needs to be found.
Means to remotely control and activate the various “HVAC” systems located within the building are typically available. This method is commonly referred to as “EMS” or energy management system. Though this “EMS” does have the capability to regulate time intervals when services can be activated, there may not exist a common link between the “EMS” and the activating switches for science classroom services.
Since different schools or classrooms may have different needs, it would also be advantageous to allow for different configuration of the utility controller unit as well as for easily adding upgrades to the system after installation. Similarly, in certain instances, it may also be advantageous for cost savings and/or simplicity of operation to control two different but similar utilities by a single control circuit. For example, domestic hot and cold water could be turned on by a single circuit, and thereby allow control of another utility.
Further, the ability to activate and deactivate various circuits from any position in a classroom may also be important. Therefore, the ability to upgrade the system to generate control signals by remote may also be important.
Continuous monitoring of the system at a high level may also be a requirement. However, every instance that at first appears to be an emergency situation may not actually be an emergency. Therefore, the ability for the classroom instructor to neutralize a situation that is not actually an emergency without alerting high level monitoring could be a great benefit.